


Maker's End (Previously Known As 'Silence')

by kaylee_wolf



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers, all platonic relationships - Freeform, all the spoilers man, big brother teb, but sorry to those who want a ship, idk why, im not a fan of writing romance w/ aloy, the tags say that there are none
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26018077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaylee_wolf/pseuds/kaylee_wolf
Summary: (a re-write of Silence)Aloy had been suffering. She'd been suffering ever since the Proving, but... she only noticed it after the war between HADES and her was over. And now, there were nightmares, flashbacks, and severe distrust in everything. There was nowhere she felt safe, nobody she truly trusted.The only thing that she could trust was silence.At least, until she repaired GAIA.Because then there was someone to talk to. Someone who would understand that the world of the Old Ones wasn't tainted. Someone who would listen because they wanted to and not because she was the Anointed or because she'd saved them in the past.But the comfort gained was still so small compared to the monumental trauma she had experienced.
Relationships: Aloy & Elisabet Sobeck, Aloy & Erend (Horizon: Zero Dawn), Aloy & GAIA (Horizon: Zero Dawn), Aloy & Nil (Horizon: Zero Dawn), Aloy & Rost (Horizon: Zero Dawn), Aloy & Talanah Khane Padish, Aloy & Teb (Horizon: Zero Dawn), Aloy & Vanasha (Horizon: Zero Dawn), Aloy & Varl (Horizon: Zero Dawn)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 42





	1. APOLLO

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaa I love rewrites

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aloy goes to Mother's Watch to try and find any traces of the world's biggest knowledge well, APOLLO.

Aloy had spent far too long in the cabin. She knew that she had said it wouldn't be home without Rost, but... the familiarity helped. She was always able to be calm there, so that's where she stayed most of the time. And it was the only place she could safely keep Sylens away. She could always take off her focus, but it was dangerous to do so out in the wilds.

So she laid in her old bed and looked around the cabin. It brought back a thousand memories that almost made her smile. She looked to the side and saw a few old carvings that she drew into the wall when she was seven. She distinctly remembered what Rost said when he found them.

" _Tallnecks are much bigger than that, Aloy._ "

It was the one and only time he ever made her something like that. A weaved blanket that had a Tallneck standing there, an almost perfect recreation of one. She still wasn't sure how he got it to look so perfect. But she slept with it every night until it was in disrepair. She wished that she didn't ruin it right about now. It would've been even more comforting right about now.

She heard the sound of someone outside the cabin and rushed to nab her focus. She scanned around and saw Sona, turning away from the door and walking back to Rost's grave. Aloy's heart dropped a bit. She forgot that Rost had... friends before he was given the task of a Death-Seeker. She opened the door and silently watched as the War-Chief placed flowers on the grave and began praying.

She was just sad now. It reminded her of all the times she caught Rost staring at the Nora people. At the time, she didn't understand, but now she did. He missed having the tribe.

Aloy didn't go out but instead waited until Sona had disappeared from her view. She wasn't in the mood to be seen right now. Instead, she went to take her focus off once more.

"Aloy?"

She knew the voice. A half-repaired GAIA. "What's up?"

"I can detect distress. Are you in danger?"

"No, GAIA, I'm fine." The AI didn't say anything, but Aloy could tell she wasn't buying it. "I'm not in danger."

She stayed silent for a moment. "...May I ask what distressed you?"

"It was nothing."

Her focus was back where she had it before. She didn't want to talk, she just wanted to sulk for a minute. Sure, maybe she needed to talk to someone, but... she wasn't used to people. Plus, nobody wanted to hear her sob story, so she wasn't going to tell it. She curled up on her old bed again, clutching the necklace Rost gave her before the Proving to her chest.

There was a song he used to sing her, too. Not that Aloy remembered the words. There were over ten hours done of rotting to those words. No way she would be able to remember them. But... she remembered how it sounded. So she hummed it to herself quietly. Night came and she slept when it came. How long had it been since she'd done that?

She woke with the sun, rubbing her eyes. She nabbed her weapons and focus before leaving. She rushed down the path, stopping for a moment at Rost's grave. "I miss you," she whispered to nobody.

Then she was going down the slip-wire and walking to Mother's Watch to speak to High Matriarch Teersa. She didn't know about what yet, but her next goal was to get APOLLO functional again, somehow. From what she knew, Ted Faro erased every trace of APOLLO, destroying the world more than he already had. As if the Faro Plague wasn't enough for the future to deal with, he just had to get rid of all of the information about the world. It only made Aloy hate him more.

Not that she ever really liked him in the first place. It was worse when she saw that he slaughtered the Alphas and erased the biggest knowledge well ever created.

"Anointed," a few Braves greeted as they walked past each other. The Sacred Land was still in ruin, but everyone was working triple the time they usually do in order to get the gates fixed. Aloy was among them, but that included the tribes outside of the Sacred Land.

After all, she was the woman who saved the world. Anointed of the Nora, Savior of the Sun, the Fire in the Forge. She had to help everyone, even though she could barely help herself.

But that didn't matter. Aloy had one mission right now, and that was finding even the slightest evidence of APOLLO still existing.

"Aloy!" The voice was recognizable and that comforted her. It was Teb. "You're back early."

She smiled. He was kind to her, even as an outcast. "Uh, yeah. I need to check something out before I go to the Sundom."

"It's a shame you can't stay longer, then," he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder for a brief moment. "Be careful on your journey, Aloy."

She didn't want to say goodbye yet, but she had to. "I will. Thanks, Teb."

Aloy wasn't going to tell him, but she was going to bring him back a gift. Maybe some cloth to work with as a Stitcher. She didn't know yet. But she went up the mountain. Despite the fear she felt turning that last corner, she still forced her way through it. It wasn't a reason to hold back. Rationally, she knew there wasn't going to be another corrupted Thunderjaw there, however, her heart kept racing nonetheless.

It still felt odd to see so many... normal people in the mountain, but Teersa made sure that the taboo stayed broken after the incident with the Eclipse. Neither Lansra nor Jezza were going to force the stubborn old woman to change her mind, either.

Either way, the High Matriarch greeting Aloy immediately, wrapping her in a warm hug, which she appreciated. She was still getting used to that kind of touch, after all the fighting she's done it's hard, but she was getting there. "Oh, you're certainly back early!" the High Matriarch exclaimed.

"Yeah, I am. Uh, I need to speak to All-Mother," she said. It was hard for her to take herself seriously.

Teersa nodded, taking Aloy's arm and leading her to the door. "Stay safe, Aloy."

"I will. Thanks, Teersa."

The woman smiled, bowing her head. Then Aloy entered and the chatter of the people outside disappeared. It was almost peaceful to be here, even with all the signs of anger and fear lingering there. But she didn't care about that. APOLLO was the focus of this mission and she was going to keep true to that.


	2. ELEUTHIA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aloy visits ELEUTHIA-9 with GAIA guiding her, trying to find any traces of APOLLO.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaa I hate summaries

Aloy made her way back to where GAIA left her message, searching around for anything that could lead her to a stray link of APOLLO. Even if it was at a hundredth of its original capacity, it would be enough. She wanted to teach people about the Old Ones, or at least give them the option. The only thing that could do that on such a vast level was APOLLO. And she hoped that she could find it.

"So, GAIA, what's our best bet?" she asked, scrounging through the drawers for... something.

The AI took a minute to respond. "I don't know. Ted Faro erased all known traces of APOLLO."

"Well, that makes this harder." The redhead took a second to breathe. "Could Elisabet had... I don't know, hid it somewhere?"

GAIA was silent, likely running through previous conversations with the doctor. "It's a possibility, although I have no confirmation."

"So we're at square one?"

Aloy sighed but was ready to stay there for days. "I can attempt to recover some files that may give us clues. Again, I have no confirmation if I will find anything, but I can try."

"Sounds like a great idea, GAIA. I'll, uh, keep searching."

There wasn't much else she could do. The fact that every _known_ trace was obliterated wasn't giving her any confidence, but being able to dig through the old metal drawers was something. The clattering and scraping of the metal were somewhat comforting as she started humming the childhood lullaby again. She was plenty satisfied that she remembered them.

Aloy considered herself lucky to have had such an amazing caretaker, considering she was outcast at birth. Rost, even with his faults, was a good man. Honorable, brave, caring. He was a father and a mother to her, even if the Matriarchs wouldn't see it that way.

She heard the familiar voice of GAIA once again. "So far, there has been one file concerning APOLLO, but it is not good."

"Better than nothing. Save it to my focus, I'll listen in a minute."

The AI hummed. "It is important. Please listen to it as soon as possible."

"How important?"

The question hung in the air. "Concerning is a better word."

"Well, that's not good," she mumbled as she closed the drawer she was searching.

Aloy scrolled through the datapoints and pressed play on the one GAIA saved for her. At first, it was silent with the exception of the scraping around. After a few minutes, there was a shaky breath before the voice started.

" _Uh, shit, I... I don't know what to make of this. We, uh, got a transmission from-from Elisabet Sobeck of all people. She, uhm, said... said that we were getting a fuckin'... god, I don't know anymore... a copy of APOLLO. I don't know what the hell that is, but... it sounds really important. I just... fuck, man. I'm gonna send this to someone, I guess. She said that too. Or something? I don't... don't fuckin' know._ "

And then it ended with a sigh. And Aloy was left in shock. There was a copy of the largest knowledge well ever made... just there? Sitting there somewhere?

"Okay, uh, wow."

GAIA spoke up as well. "I assume it was sent to one of my subsystems. MINERVA is the most likely, but there's no confirmation."

"Yeah, well, at least we know it exists."

She stayed for a minute, just trying to absorb how big of a discovery that was. Sure, she thought that maybe, just maybe, they could find a sliver of APOLLO, but not a whole copy. There would be every little bit of information about the Old Ones - every accomplishment, every failure, every culture in the world. It was... a lot to find out. Especially after Ted Faro said he erased every trace of it.

"Aloy," the AI said, "I have another file."

She took a breath. "Go ahead."

This one was less quiet. It was bustling laughter and happiness at first, but after about thirty seconds, the mood turned quite grim and sour. " _GAIA, I need you to do something._ "

" _Yes, Elisabet?_ "

" _I need to send a full copy of APOLLO to the International Space Station. Ted's pretty much gone insane because knowledge is apparently a curse, so I need to make a copy of him. I don't care how long it takes, just... before Ted goes through with getting rid of him, okay?_ "

GAIA hesitated. " _I can do that._ "

The transmission ended there. Aloy was in shock from it. It was absolute confirmation that Elisabet knew that Ted Faro was going to do something drastic. And that drastic measure would be to erase APOLLO, to rid the world of something that could've eliminated the cruelty that so many had faced for the sake of silly beliefs. On one hand, Aloy had to realize that there was something to be seen as amazement, but on the other... there was pure, blinding anger.

"Goddammit, Faro!" she exclaimed, fist almost denting the worn metal. The heat of the rage made her want to strangle him, even if he was long dead. "I can't believe it. I _still_ can't believe it. Even after I learned that he created the plague of machines, I still can't believe he did that."

GAIA was quiet for a moment. "I was told that before the money went to his head, he was a kind and reasonable man."

"Who told you that?" Aloy asked, calming down herself.

The AI would've smiled if she could've. "Elisabet. I believe they knew each other in school. She wanted to try to reason with him before the seal incident. As far as I know, Elisabet was going to revoke any privileges he had to... prevent the erasure of APOLLO."

"If only she was able to, right?" The Nora's disappointment was obvious. Her head went in her hands and her knees met her chest. "We should... go somewhere, I guess. GAIA Prime? The Gravehoard?"

GAIA hummed. "I believe another ruin would be our best bet at finding where APOLLO is now."

"To GAIA Prime it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway please please please comment! That's my main source of inspiration for fics.


	3. GAIA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An angry return to GAIA Prime is in order when Aloy discovers that there are definite traces of APOLLO left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible at summaries please forgive me ;A; (also forgive me for the time between chapters ;-;)

The journey didn't last as long as the first one to GAIA Prime did. The machines were no longer corrupted for the most part and the ones on the way up to the ruin were either dead or overridden. The ice had frozen over some of the handholds, but Aloy scrambled her way up the slopes regardless.

She always seemed to be good at finding a way, GAIA had told her once.

Once up in Sylens's old workshop, she dug around for something. It wasn't something she meant to leave there, but she remembered it as soon as she reached her location.

Elizabet's globe.

Aloy kept it for sentimental reasons. She finally had a mother of sorts, even if she could never meet her. There was the comfort of it, at least.

"I remember that," GAIA chimed in, voice melancholy.

The Nora didn't know how to respond. "I found it with Elisabet's body. She, uh, went home."

"I recall her telling me of her home. Her mother was the reason she did so much for the world, as far as I can tell."

Aloy smiled, looking at the trinket that rested in her palm. "Well, _she's_ the reason I did all this."

"Do you think of her as a mother, Aloy?" the AI asked.

The huntress assumed that GAIA had been trying to sound less robotic since she didn't ask to speak out of protocol. "Kind of," she replied, "I know she's not really my mother, but... I like to think that she is."

"I believe she would've liked that sentiment."

Their conversation ended there as Aloy began to explore the ruins. It wasn't repaired yet since the only thing that GAIA had managed to repair was the basic functions, but it would get there eventually.

She found the place where the Alphas were murdered and a sadness sank her heart once again. GAIA must've sensed it, as the AI attempted to comfort her. It didn't work, but it was the effort that counted.

"Hey, GAIA," Aloy said, changing the subject, "What's the probability that the copy of APOLLO was sent here? To GAIA Prime."

The AI didn't answer straight away, likely running numbers. "I don't know," she finally said. "But with the destruction I caused, the probability of a copy surviving would be very low."

"If it was sent here, but the explosion destroyed it, is it possible that rebuilding the entirety of GAIA Prime could also rebuild that?" the Nora asked.

It was a serious question. She'd seen what happened in the Cauldrons, machines being made from anything. So, theoretically, it should be possible to recreate APOLLO.

"The shell, yes," GAIA said gently, which is how Aloy knew bad news was coming. "The data would not be there, though."

That produced some issues. "Could you possibly... reproduce the data?"

"It's highly unlikely. Ever since the chain of command was severed, I've had no connection to APOLLO or the other functions." GAIA paused. "There are no humans left on the ISS, so I'm not sure how to gain the data back if they never sent it somewhere else."

Aloy took a breath. There was no use getting frustrated. "We'll figure it out. Eventually."

"I hope that it's sooner rather than later."

They shared that sentiment.

Aloy continued to dig around, rappelling down to the furthest part of the mountain and deciding to comb through each part as she worked her way up. At least a night passed and she got half-way up with no luck. Anything that was undisturbed was emptied.

By the time she was back in the workshop, she was exhausted and ready to say 'fuck it' and move on with life. GAIA tried to encourage her, but all she wanted to do right now was sleep. The AI couldn't argue, so she instead played a lullaby that Elisabet had shown her once.

It did the job and Aloy was soon fast asleep.

Perhaps GAIA had spent too much time listening to the Nora people chattering about mothers and their importance, but she felt as if she had an obligation to this girl. To care for her as a mother would. Regardless, the AI did think that she deserved a mother after all she went through. Or at least something resembling it. Maybe she wasn't the best choice, but she was willing to try to be.

Either way, GAIA herself found comfort in that little lullaby and continued playing it until Aloy woke up from her night of rest. The girl seemed to be uncomfortable, which was reasonable after the way she slept. Hunched over a desk proved to give some pain, and GAIA knew that from when Elisabet would work overnight and pass out over her papers.

That didn't matter, apparently, because Aloy went along her journey without complaining or even vaguely suggesting it did anything. Truthfully, GAIA was almost impressed despite the worry that it gave her. After all, she knew that the way she was raised left her prone to holding back what she was feeling.

"Aloy, are you feeling alright?" the AI asked, more worried than curious.

The girl hesitated in answering. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? The way you slept might have left you in pain. I'm worried that you are not telling me how you are feeling."

She smiled, "I'm _fine_ , GAIA. It's nothing that I haven't done before."

Both quieted down as the trek to the closest town, which happened to be Free Heap.

Petra never expected Aloy's little visits, but they were always welcome nonetheless. A spark on the wind, as she was called by most of the Oseram she encountered. She didn't mind the nickname, but it was odd compared to the others. It made her out to be... free. She wasn't though. Even if she wished she could be. The weight of the world fell onto her shoulders more than anyone else's.

A quick whistle on the path to Free Heap brought her mount galloping to her side, seemingly excited to be ridden. Maybe she was just projecting human feelings onto the machine, but it was a nice thought. The Charger lurched forward once she jumped on, throwing her a bit off balance for a moment. The rest of the ride was pleasant, though, the wind blowing through her hair and leaving her feeling as if the whole world was going too slow when she finally stopped.

"Time to stock up."


	4. Free Heap

"Aloy!" Petra exclaimed as she spotted the Nora walking up the path with her steed in tow.

The redhead smiled, leaving the Charger in a patch of grass. "Hi, Petra."

"Been a while, flame-hair," the Oseram said, engulfing Aloy in a hug. "What brings you here this time?"

With a glance toward her mount, she sighed. "Stocking up. Maybe staying a night. I've been delving."

"Well, I would jump in the river before sleeping anywhere," Petra said, affectionately messing up Aloy's hair. "All that grit will ruin this whole pretty thing you got going."

She scrunched up her face a bit, but let it happen. "I will, I will. I just need something to eat first. I didn't eat all day."

"You got a preference?"

"Food."

The Oseram woman laughed, giving Aloy a hearty slap on the back. "We have plenty to share. Especially Kaeluf."

"You're still bugging him about that?" she asked, raising a brow.

Petra snorted, "He will _never_ live that down, flame-hair."

They moved on from their spot. First to eat, then to let Aloy stock up on proper material. It was mostly maps and such, but she was running low on Ridgewood, too, so she bought some bundles of it. Afterward, she took Petra's advice to clean herself off in the river. She took the Charger with her for at least a bit of warning to oncoming machines. She changed into one of her old outfits - the one Teb made for her - and started cleaning off her armor. She wiped off her arms, the grime unable to stick in the presence of water.

She took a breath and dunked her head in the water, making sure to soak her hair as she quickly tousled it before bringing her head out of the water. Her hair was left dripping as she wrung it out. It stuck to her neck and cheeks; looked a lot smaller than usual, too. She returned to Free Heap with her mount and left it again. It seemed to understand that it was to stay there and settled in its spot, laying down and sleeping, as it were. Aloy couldn't help but smile a little.

"So, Aloy," Petra started as the Nora began to settle. "What exactly are you delving for?"

Naturally, she hesitated to answer. "Data from the Old Ones," she replied. It would suffice.

"How'd you even be able to read it?" the Oseram asked, "With that trinket of yours?"

Aloy nodded. "It, uh, reveals the unseen. So I can find things that the Old Ones left behind but can't be taken."

"That's fascinating." Petra took a final glance at her Focus. "Well, take good care of that little thing."

Aloy stayed awake that night, her paranoia chewing at her brain as she desperately tried to sleep. It was less than ideal, but she was used to it at this point. After the Proving, the next week was full of sleepless nights, tossing and turning in between sobs. She spent the next couple of weeks ignoring the need to sleep, too but instead focused herself on the issue that was HADES. It didn't help that all the night sky brought back was memories of Rost telling her bedtime stories about the shapes the stars made. Those memories were nice, yes, but... she was indescribably sad at them.

There was one story in particular that she remembered, one about a lone Grazer churning up the dirt near the river. It dug into a rock, snapping off both of its antlers off. But it didn't understand. So it kept trying to work, even though it couldn't. One time, it got stuck and couldn't get its head out of the ground. A hunter came along and killed it, harvesting its parts. The moral was something like, "Know your limits, Aloy."

But either way, she was stuck staring at the ceiling. Tired yet unable to sleep.

"Hey, GAIA," she whispered, turning on her focus. She scanned the room. "You there?"

The AI took a moment to respond. "I am."

"Do you, uh, have any lullabies? I can't sleep."

Aloy thought that she could hear GAIA smile. "One moment."

Less than a second later, there was calming music playing in the background. From what she remembered, it was called a piano. It put her to sleep faster than she thought it would. However, right before she closed her eyes, she muttered something. "Good night, GAIA."

"Good night, Aloy," the AI replied, voice gentle as a summer breeze, "Sweet dreams."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than usual, but... I like the ending.


	5. Lone Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, i added a fanmachine (my own creation!) into here, no you can't call me out on it
> 
> there's a HZD discord for those who want it 👀👀 at the end of the chapter (it is not shippy)

Her morning at Free Heap went fast, eating a good breakfast and packing up her supplies. She had been able to fit a few bags onto her mount, which proved useful in making more room in her pockets. GAIA had voiced her opinions of Petra, all of them good, and was more chipper than usual. The AI kept chattering about whatever passed them by while Aloy focused on conserving her energy. It was about a six-hour ride, including stops.

GAIA talked her ear off, mostly about the wonder of the ecosystem and how it was doing. The arrival at Lone Light, though, was relatively quiet. The only sounds were the footfalls of the Charger walking alongside her. The people were nodding off to sleep as the moon rose higher into the sky, and the guards were trying to keep the peaceful silence.

Aloy stopped her mount at a patch of grass, watching as it lay down. She decided to settle with it this time, a thin blanket from the saddlebag covering her and the Charger. The desert breeze barely gave her a chill with how warm the machine was. "Hey, GAIA," she started quietly. "Can you tell me about the Old Ones?"

"What you would like to know?" she replied, in standard AI fashion.

The redhead sighed, closing her eyes as she sunk under the blanket. "What were they like? Just, uh, in general."

"I don't have much experience with humanity as a whole," GAIA said in advance before continuing, "But the ones I knew were always hopeful. At times they were harsh or pessimistic, but they were usually... cheerful, despite the situation. Before the seal incident, Elisabet always made it a point to smile. At least a few times a day. Seeing her happy at the end of the day made my night."

The AI continued as Aloy dozed off, resting against the gentle hum of the Charger. She barely noticed the sun rising the next morning. However, the bustling town soon was roaring with the sound of merchants setting up shop, so she had no choice to get up and moving, which was fine. She had gotten used to odd sleeping hours at this point. But that didn't make the heaviness of her eyes fade away any faster. She took a moment to rest, placing any loose belongings back where they belong and taking a swig from her canteen.

Aloy hoisted herself onto the machine's back, patting it on the neck when she did. Wrapping her hands through the cables on it, she tapped its sides and slowly made her way down the path. When the road flattened out, she sped up. The ride was a lot smoother when machines didn't charge at people from the side of the roads. She could finally pass by a group of Longlegs without then throwing her off the back of her mount. It took her the better part of two hours to reach Cut-Cliffs, where she saw a... familiar face.

Erend was there, a few Vanguardsmen alongside him. And although her main goal was Meridian... she wanted to help. She dismounted and approached, catching a few bits of what was happening. "Hey, what's going on here?" she asked, spooking Erend and the stranger he was speaking to.

"Aloy! What're-what're you doing here?"

She paused, holding back a teasing grin. "On my way to a delve. What seems to be the issue here, Mister Vanguardsman?"

"Nothing we can't handle. Just some Metaltakers causing some trouble."

That was a confusing part. "Metaltakers? Aren't they... not bitey?"

"They keep taking all our scrap! We got nothin' to sell, girl!" She nodded along with the man as he started going on about how they were broke. "It's either kill 'em or move 'em."

Aloy decided to take a glance into the quarry and smiled. "I can take care of them for you."

She didn't wait for an answer and instead hopped back on her Charger and raced into the quarry. There were only a few Metaltakers there, but she decided she would make a show of it nonetheless.

Knowing the footfalls of her mount would spook them, she charged into the quarry forcing it to rear up when it came to a pile of rock. She dismounted once again and took a bomb from her pack. She tossed it into the air and quickly drew out her bow, hitting it with precision and watching as it exploded.

It could've taken her a minute tops if she wasn't showing off, but she took the time to precariously walk along with the explosives they had set up in the quarry to override them. Once they were overridden, they went back to work, but finding the things needed to make a lure was easy.

She took some inspiration from Sylens and fastened the lure to an arrow. Then, gently, she took out her Sharpshot Bow and pulled it back to her cheek. When Aloy released it, it flew through the air faster than a Glinthawk after scrap.

Soon enough, the Metaltakers were scrambling out of the quarry to follow the lure, leaving it empty save for Aloy and her Charger. She brought the machine back up with her, satisfied that she made a show out of the experience.

"I think they won't be back. For a while, at least."

The villager huffed, "At least they're gone now. Thank you, Nora girl."

"It's Aloy, but you're welcome." She turned to Erend. "Anyway, Erend, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Avad? Y'know, the Sun-King?"

The Oseram shrugged. "He started sending us for machine problems. The city guard is preoccupied with rebuilding... everything."

"Guess that leaves him busy."

Erend took a second to glance back at the Sundom, which looked busy even from that distance. "I think he'll have time for you. Considering you saved the world and all," he said teasingly.

"Haha, very funny," she replied snarkily. "I have other things to do in the city anyway. Catch you later!"

She mounted her Charger and took off before she could get a reply. That seemed to be a new habit of hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://discord.gg/9yXt4wAaer
> 
> p.s. yes, Aloy is this showy. you can't convince me otherwise.
> 
> p.s.2. here's a non-HZD discord :) https://discord.gg/6aNwC5uYGC


End file.
